PoLaur Challenge

[Dichroic]

Literacy tutoring, commenting, getting attention to this forum from AW at large, contests, anthologies ... there's a very diverse range projects out there, and it was difficult to think of something worthy for my PoLaur project.

Further, I keep remembering the commentary out there on some of our previous discussions. Some people don't like the idea of contests. Different people contribute to the community in different ways; poets don't fit well into molds.

So here's what I'm proposing: Challenge *yourself*. Take the next step in your writing, whatever that is. If you've never posted a poem in public, do it! If you've posted only to the Chapbook, try posting for crit. If you've only written fee verse, try something with a formal structure. If you've been posting only to AW or your blog, submit something for publication. (Hint: the Available Markets thread here is a big help for that. ) Scared you don't know enough to offer crit? Jump in! (Really, even "That part really rang true for me" is Or "I didn't understand this" is very useful critique.)

And tell us about it! Commit to your challenge in this thread, and make it real: tell us exactly what you'll do and give yourself a date to do it by. Then come back here and tell us how it's going or how it went.

Need a little more motivation? Prefer not to work alone? Find a partner! Find a partner who's got a similar project (two poets nerving each other up to submit) or a complimentary one (a modernist trying to write a sonnet could partner with a formalist exploring free verse). I'll start another thread to find partners, to make it easier.

I'll start in comments.

[Dichroic]

I don't know if anyone has read my answers to the Twenty Questions (except the one person who emailed me, and thanks!) but if you did you will have seen that I sold my first two poems this spring, to amaze Cinquain and Expat Lit :hooray:and that I credit AW with a lot of help in making that happen.

So now I've had thoe two accepted and some others rejected, and I don't have anything currently out in circulation. I will not set a challenge to get another poem accepted, because I can't control that - but it definitely won't happen if I don't submit. My challenge to myself is to get five new or old poems as good as I can make them and to submit them by the end of June.

What's yours?

[Izz]

I've been so busy with novel and short stories I haven't written any new poetry for about a month.

I know this doesn't sound like a huge goal, but I want to write two new poems before May 13th.

[Feiss]

I is gonna do PAD challenge

[AnonymousWriter]

Mine is to write a couple more poems which I feel are publishable. I already have a few, but would like at least 4 or 5 ones which I feel are worthy of submission since many publishers prefer more than one poem as a submission.

I also need to find the courage to take the plunge and have the confidence to submit them.

[KTC]

My challenge to myself this month is to write at least 300 poems at the 24-hour poetry marathon I am attending next Saturday. I don't foresee a problem, as it only takes about 2-3 minutes to write a poem.

POETRY MARATHON (http://www.scugoglibrary.ca/poetrymarathon.php)


After the marathon is over, my self challenge is going to be to submit at least 20 of those poems for publication.

[dobiwon]

My challenge to myself this month is to write at least 300 poems at the 24-hour poetry marathon I am attending next Saturday. I don't foresee a problem, as it only takes about 2-3 minutes to write a poem.

POETRY MARATHON (http://www.scugoglibrary.ca/poetrymarathon.php)


After the marathon is over, my self challenge is going to be to submit at least 20 of those poems for publication.
I wish you the best of luck--by my calculations, 300 poems in 24 hours is only an average of 4.8 minutes per poem--for all 24 hours. I don't doubt that you can do it--it's just tiring for me to even think of it. You're a better man than I am (bow down, bow down, bow down). [OK, maybe just a younger man... :) ]

[Lady Cat]

KTC, what is it with you and these marathons? :D

And why doesn't Northumberland County offer any of these great things like the marathons or a writer's circle?? :cry:


So far, to challenge myself this year, I've been participating in the PAD Challenge and I've even managed to critique a poem or two here on the forum.

My next challenge will be to submit a poem either for publication, or at the very least to the critique forum.

[Izz]

I know this doesn't sound like a huge goal, but I want to write two new poems before May 13th.I've written a poem and posted in crit (1 poem down, 1 to go!). Based around this submission call over in Paying Markets: Submissions Call for Shroud Publishing Poetry Anthology [1 cent/word & copy of book] (http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=138632)

[Dichroic]

Good for you, Iz! And I see they accept emailed submissions - always a big factor when you're submitting from another country.

[KTC]

KTC, what is it with you and these marathons? :D

And why doesn't Northumberland County offer any of these great things like the marathons or a writer's circle?? :cry:


So far, to challenge myself this year, I've been participating in the PAD Challenge and I've even managed to critique a poem or two here on the forum.

My next challenge will be to submit a poem either for publication, or at the very least to the critique forum.

Northumberland is such a short drive away. I travel all the way up to Huntsville for the annual novel marathon. You're close enough to come to the WCDR breakfasts...granted, it would be a little bit of a jaunt, but a worthwhile one. I go to Cobourg quite often...just a skip and a jump up the 401. You must be around there? I'm not sure how far Northumberland stretches. I think the WCDR has members from that area if I'm not wrong?

[KTC]

PS...I don't think I will be able to make the marathon tomorrow, after all. There goes my challenge!

[Izz]

Good for you, Iz! And I see they accept emailed submissions - always a big factor when you're submitting from another country.Yes! Yay for email! :hooray:

[Izz]

PS...I don't think I will be able to make the marathon tomorrow, after all. There goes my challenge!Marathon from home?

[KTC]

Marathon from home?

It's a brother thing. I have three of them and we are always there for each other. My heart will be beating out sympathetic poetry.

[Izz]

:)

[whoopi]

[quote=Dichroic;3488954]I don't know if anyone has read my answers to the Twenty Questions (except the one person who emailed me, and thanks!) but if you did you will have seen that I sold my first two poems this spring, to amaze Cinquain and Expat Lit :hooray:and that I credit AW with a lot of help in making that happen.


Congrats to you well done and Good luck with your next submission and
thank you for dropping by to crit. my poem

congrats again

[Hoodimann]

My challenge to myself is learn to write a sonnet, and actually write several, perhaps 5, by month's end. (any of the several types will do)

Informally: PAD, for myself, not the link for it.

:)

[Dichroic]

Progress report: One sent out, one shot down. (I'm kind of getting in the habit of sending anything that might be a fit to Lone Star Stories first, because Eric there turns them around insanely fast - a day or less. If you look at who's published there it may be shooting high, but no harm trying.)

[Izz]

Progress report: One sent out, one shot down. (I'm kind of getting in the habit of sending anything that might be a fit to Lone Star Stories first, because Eric there turns them around insanely fast - a day or less. If you look at who's published there it may be shooting high, but no harm trying.)No harm trying at all :)

And LSS is very good, possibly one of the best quality poetry markets out there. Keep shooting for the Star and you'll get there, probably sooner rather than later.

[Dichroic]

Argh! And once again a weekend has been busier than I expect and I've let it go by without submitting anything. I need to get better about this. (At least, on the art front I did work on one poem, made about three pair of earrings and a necklace and knitted some lace.)

How are others doing on their challenges?

[Izz]

Argh! And once again a weekend has been busier than I expect and I've let it go by without submitting anything. I need to get better about this. (At least, on the art front I did work on one poem, made about three pair of earrings and a necklace and knitted some lace.) Still sounds like a pretty productive weekend :)

How are others doing on their challenges?I wrote 2 poems by the 13th. Just. Wrote the last poem on the 13th, and it's now sitting around waiting for me to edit.

The poem i subbed to that horror antho has been held for consideration, which is neat. Subs for that close at the end of June, i think, so i'll hear back sometime after then as to whether it's been accepted.

[Gray Rose]

I would like to write some poems.

I would like not to delete said poems.

I would like not to obsess over how horrible, imperfect, imbalanced, shamefully juvenile my poems are.

I would like to submit some of them for publication in mainstream markets.

I would like not to check Duotrope every 5 minutes, once this happens.

[Dichroic]

Three submitted. (And of course I noticed an error in one immediately after pressing send. Sigh.)

If I count the one with the error, one more and I'm off the hook.

[phoenixlipo]

Hi,

I like the poetry very much !

Generally children's are like the poet, so every children mom say in the night poem.

thanks !

[Gray Rose]

Wrote two mainstream poems. One poem turned out well. Three people volunteered to critique; one disappeared off the face of the earth, one said she sent crit (never received here, even after a nudge to resend), one promised to critique 'tomorrow' and was never heard from again.

Please excuse me while I go delete some poems :P

[Dichroic]

I hate when that happens. I'm still owed some poem critiques as part of a charity auction, months ago. I've pretty much given up on those, but it also doesn't give me warm fuzzies about the critiquers, who happen to be editors of one of the markets I want to submit to.

(As of yesterday I have reached my goal as of submissions. Now I just need to keep going.)

[Dichroic]

Also: Rose, would it maybe be possible for you to imporse a moratorium on deleting poems, but maybe also on reading them? I'm thinking that maybe if after you write one, you trunk it for a while, when you came back to it, it might feel lke someone else's work and be easier to look at with an unbiased eye. I get the same sense from Priene: it feels like you two are far more critical of your own poems than you'd be of anyone else's. Which isn't terribly bad except when you're unfairly critical to yourself.

[Gray Rose]

Also: Rose, would it maybe be possible for you to imporse a moratorium on deleting poems, but maybe also on reading them? I'm thinking that maybe if after you write one, you trunk it for a while, when you came back to it, it might feel lke someone else's work and be easier to look at with an unbiased eye. I get the same sense from Priene: it feels like you two are far more critical of your own poems than you'd be of anyone else's. Which isn't terribly bad except when you're unfairly critical to yourself.

This is certainly true. I am overly critical of my own work to an extent it's self-defeating - but a fair amount of criticism is crucial for me to grow. Most of my better poems could go out as Draft 1, 2, 3 but it's Draft 6 or 7 that really shines. The problem is with the poems that don't make it to draft 3. I pledged not to delete poems for the month of June (this is because of this thread so thanks Dichroic). The "Winter woman" poem is part of that effort as it's a scrap poem.

I am not sure I can "save and not look" - the problem is with whether I am saving it in the first place. 'Deleting' poems is really an euphemism for 'composing but then deciding it is not good enough to save'. My latest sale to Goblin Fruit begins with a sequence I deleted, but I couldn't stop humming it to myself, which is one way even deleted poems can come back. If they are any good I can sometimes remember them.

hugs
Rose